In November 1971, Dame Janet Baker - a great champion of Opera sung in English - performed the title role in Monteverdi's 'The Coronation of Poppea' with Sadler's Wells Opera at the London Coliseum conducted by Raymond Leppard. The performance was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and, fortunately, a recording was made of the broadcast. It has now been digitally remastered and, despite some minor deterioration, the performance is a delight. For those wishing to experience the artistry of Dame Janet at the height of her career, this latest release in the Archive Edition of the Opera in English label is a must. She is joined by the bass Clifford Grant, tenors Robert Ferguson and John Brecknock, and mezzo-sopranos Anne Collins and Katherine Pring together with the Sadler's Wells Chorus and Orchestra.

"Janet Baker's incredibly sophisticated portrayal of Poppea reveals that the work is as much about power as sex...this recording stands as a powerful and attractive monument to those epoch-making clashes between musicality and musicology that kick-started the early music boom to the benefit of all." -BBC Music Magazine ****

"Leppard's souped-up Monteverdi is richly enjoyable...Baker catches the langour and the selfish ambition of this unpleasant character with subtly varied tone...And the diction! Put down the libretto, listen, and weep for what was." -Gramophone Magazine